about the place
High up in the municipality of Cinfães, where the mountain ranges seem to touch the sky, lies the Union of the parishes of Alhões, Bustelo, Gralheira and Ramires — four corners of mountain soul that walk together without each losing its own face. These are mountain people, accustomed to working the land, to dry-stone walls of schist and granite, and to traditions passed down from parents to children, like the corn-husking gathering around the maize. In Alhões, where the festival takes place, and in the neighbouring villages, there are churches and chapels that are the heart of the communities, mills that tell the story of bread, and a generous table with carne arouquesa, rojões, sarrabulho, heather honey and vinho verde. Here, time does not rush — it lingers, warmed by traditions that are never lost.
